Not what you want to see for a lift that’s supposed to open Saturday. The new American Eagle lift at Copper Mountain is made by Leitner-Poma. It uses a mix of chairs and gondola cabins. Denver News 9 reports a spokesperson for Leitner-Poma said the gondola popped off the cable after hitting a piece of construction material which shouldn’t worry future passengers because it wouldn’t have fallen if it weren’t under construction and will be safe in normal circumstances.
“So the lift is still under construction and inadvertently a loose piece or unattached piece of building slipped in front of the grip when it was launched, we are already well into the repair. There’s only minor damage to the lift and it’s not going to set us back at all.” Jon Mauch with Leitner-Poma
Per a response on Copper’s Facebook page the accident won’t effect their testing schedule:
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Here is the official statement from Copper about the incident:
At approximately 11 a.m. on Nov. 26, a gondola cabin from the American Eagle lift, currently under construction, detached from its cable resulting in the cabin falling to the ground just after exiting the base terminal. The incident occurred during the testing process. The lift was not open to the public and no one was harmed.
A review by Leitner-Poma, the manufacturer and construction contractor, indicated that no critical components were damaged and we do not anticipate additional delays as a result of this incident.
The safety of our employees, contractors and guests is our number one priority. Copper is working closely with the Leitner-Poma team and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board to ensure that, once completed, the American Eagle lift will operate safely and reliably.
images from copper facebook & KOAA 5 youtube